Professor Koh Signs Letter About Syrian Refugees

Sterling Professor of International Law Harold Hongju Koh joined more than 20 former senior officials, including some who served in prominent positions in the Obama administration, to sign a letter urging the White House to accept 100,000 Syrian refugees.

The figure is a a tenfold increase over an American commitment made last week, according to the New York Times.

“With some four million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and hundreds of thousands of Syrian asylum seekers in Europe, this would be a responsible exercise in burden sharing,” states the letter. “We urge you to take extraordinary measures, as were taken for refugees from Vietnam, northern Iraq and Kosovo.”

Professor Koh served for nearly four years as the 22nd Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State from 2009 to 2013.